As in 2014, the Grand Duchy ranks among the cleanest countries in the world in the 2015 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) drawn up by Transparency International, a non-governmental organisation fighting corruption. The country has even moved up two places.

CPI scores range from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) for the 168 countries analysed. In this 2015 edition, Denmark (91), Finland (90) and Sweden (89) head the global list. The Grand Duchy is in 10th place (81), which it shares with Germany and the United Kingdom. The Netherlands rank 5th (87), Belgium 15th (77) and France 23rd (70). The Grand Duchy can therefore be considered one of the countries where public sector corruption is perceived as being relatively low-key. Although the Grand Duchy has slipped down one place since 2014, it is still firmly positioned near the top of the list.

The results are used to classify countries according to the perceived degree of corruption in the national public sector.

Corruption weakens a country

The institutional and regulatory framework within which economic activities take place affects the way in which resources are distributed, investment decisions are made, and creativity and innovation are stimulated. Consequently, corruption weakens a country in this way, harming stability and security for decisions made by economic agents.

It is with this in mind that Transparency International, a non-governmental organisation, has just published the 20th edition of its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The index is based on expert opinion on public sector corruption. Those countries given a high score often have a transparent administration that allows citizens to call on their administrators to account for themselves. Conversely, a low score indicates systematic bribery, a lack of sanctions in the event of corruption, and a mismatch between the administration's activities and the population's needs.